Pot could improve many lives

Peter Hayashi of Newton, a 56-year-old father of two and former faculty member at Harvard Medical School, is one of the last people you’d expect to see buying pot on the street.

But Hayashi suffers from allodynia, a hypersensitive reaction to sensation, which leaves him in severe and constant pain. Even a gentle breeze across his face can be excruciating; he spends most days swathed in layers of stretch clothing, lying on a waterbed.

The clinical psychologist has tried many prescribed medications and several alternative therapies. He has access to the best Harvard doctors and researchers. But not until he tried marijuana did he experience an ease of symptoms and a big improvement in the quality of his life.

“I didn’t want to bring it into my house with my kids, but it’s inescapable that I’m much better off having it here when I need it,” he said. “I buy it on the street, but don’t feel I have safe access.”

This good man is technically a criminal, a status that would change if Massachusetts voters decide Nov. 6 to legalize the use of marijuana for medical purposes. Here’s hoping the question passes, despite opponents who remain intent on treating this benign, helpful substance like a dangerous and evil gateway drug.

Let’s be honest. Many of us have smoked marijuana and some of us still do. Successful people such as Bill Maher, Andrew Sullivan, Woody Harrelson and scores of others are open about their affinity for recreational weed. In 2008, the state voted overwhelmingly to decriminalize the possession of small amounts of marijuana. The sky has yet to fall, also consumption of Twinkies has likely risen.

Still, though, opponents of Question 3 contend that the proposed law is flawed and would lead to widespread use of marijuana, as though it’s not already easy to get on the streets. They claim that marijuana is a gateway to harder drugs, despite numerous studies that refute the claim. They say pot can lead to addiction, but any substance used in excess can lead to addiction, and far more social drinkers become alcoholics than recreational pot smokers become potheads.

If the referendum passes, Massachusetts would become the 18th state to legalize medicinal marijuana. Doctors would have the option to prescribe it to patients who meet certain guidelines, including having been diagnosed with cancer, glaucoma, AIDS, Crohn’s disease, ALS or multiple sclerosis. The law would allow patients to keep a 65-day supply, and up to 35 nonprofit dispensaries statewide would be eligible to sell it. Fraudulent use calls for jail time.

Dr. James Broadhurst, a Worcester physician, leads the opposition. He said marijuana isn’t medicine and hasn’t been evaluated by the Federal Drug Administration, which is a rather circuitous argument, given that it can’t be properly studied because it’s illegal. And Broadhurst acknowledged that “there’s no question marijuana has medicinal value,” but said the list of diagnoses that would allow someone to obtain the drug is too broad.

“This is a gateway to legalization,” he said. “This is a sham.” Asked if he believed pot should be legalized, he said, “That’s not the question that’s in front of us … If we’re going to legalize marijuana, let’s do it. But let’s not wrap it in this cloak and exploit the sick.”

People in pain, such as Peter Hayashi, are more than willing to be “exploited” if it means safe and legal access to a substance that improves their lives. Since he began inhaling pot with a vaporizer, Hayashi was able to attend his first open house at his son’s school, and said he can spend “quality time” with his daughter when she comes home from college.

“If the bill passed, it would mean a lot to me,” Hayashi said. “But I’m just one of many patients it would mean a lot to.”